


Your Orbit

by Ailendolin



Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Angst, Canon Era, Christmas, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, Post-Strike, Protective Siblings, Self-Esteem Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-17 14:22:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16976232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ailendolin/pseuds/Ailendolin
Summary: After the strike things were different.It was Katherine now who made Jack laugh when he was in a dark mood and Davey whose shoulders Jack slung his arm over in the middle of a conversation. Crutchie sometimes wished he could hate them for it but Davey and Katherine were amazing, each in their own unique way, and he just couldn’t. They made Jack happy and Crutchie had rarely seen him smile so honestly and carefree as he did when he was with them.It made his heart ache that he hadn’t been able to give Jack that.It's Christmas and Crutchie struggles with finding his place in the world now that Jack spends most of his time with Katherine and Davey. Luckily he has brothers who look out for him and are always ready to knock some sense into Jack.





	1. Crutchie

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, fansies!
> 
> I'm relatively new to Newsies but those newsboys seem to have taken over my life and how better to become a part of a new fandom than by bearing gifts? In this case an angsty Christmas fic! Crutchie was the first character I fell in love with, the one that actually got me interested in Newsies in the first place and JackCrutchie gives me life (sorry Javid fans). As is the case with most of my stories JackCrutchie is only alluded to and can be interpreted as both brotherly or the beginning of a romantic relationship. I'll leave that up to you. ;) Same goes for Jatherine now that I think about it. I haven't tagged it though since it's not the focus of the story.
> 
> This fic is already finished and will consist of three chapters (or four, depending whether I split the last chapter or not) that will follow different points of view. Jack might come off as a bit of a jerk at first but I promise he's not. 
> 
> The title of the fic comes from the song "Go Tonight" from the musical "The Mad Ones" as do the lyrics at the beginning of each chapter. In the first chapter I've changed the pronouns to make them fit Jack and Crutchie, though. 
> 
> Worth mentioning might be also that English is not my first language, so I'm not even trying to attempt to recreate the accent. Don't hesitate to point out any mistakes you may find, though. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Newsies. Disney does. I'm just borrowing their characters and don't make any money with this. I also don't own the lyrics used at the beginning of each chapter.

**Your Orbit**

**Chapter 1: Crutchie**

_He was everything I’m not, my whole universe_  
_And I was a footnote, a slim second verse_  
_But he was the chorus, the hook and the groove_  
_And without him there pushing somehow I can’t move_

After the strike Crutchie grew quiet.

It’s not as if he’d sought to be the center of attention before. The only reason he’d always gravitated towards it was because that’s where Jack was usually to be found and Crutchie would follow Jack to the end of the Earth if he could – or Santa Fe, whichever came first.

He’d try, at least.

Realistically, Crutchie knew he wouldn’t actually be able to follow Jack if it came down to it. Santa Fe was Jack’s dream of a better life, not his, and Crutchie had learned to humor him if only to keep that wistful smile on Jack’s face as he painted a paradise with his words, a piece of charcoal or a brush. But at the end of the day Crutchie knew deep down that the future Jack longed for would have no place for him. All it took was one bad leg day to remind him of that. He couldn’t do all those things Jack dreamed about, no matter how much Jack insisted he could. Santa Fe wouldn’t magically make him better. It wouldn’t make him be able to run in the sun all day and keep up with whatever crazy idea Jack came up with next. To Crutchie Santa Fe was just another city, and a friendless one at that, that had nothing more to offer a poor kid with a useless leg than New York had.

But Jack didn’t see that and Crutchie didn’t have the heart to remind him of the harsh realities of his life. So he let him paint on unsold papers picture after picture of this fairytale place where the sun was always shining and even a broken boy like Crutchie could have a wonderful life in bliss. It was a nice dream and a part of Crutchie hoped that one day Jack would get to see his city of clay because if anyone deserved to have their dreams come true it was Jack.

That didn’t stop another part of him filling with dread each time Jack talked about Santa Fe, though. Sometimes it scared Crutchie how desperately Jack yearned to leave everything, _everyone_ , behind. There were mornings when he woke up to find Jack not there and his heart would stop for one horrible moment – Jack was gone, he’d finally left them for good, oh god – only to hear his voice a second later from downstairs urging the boys to hurry up and get ready for the day. The relief that rushed through Crutchie in those moments always made him feel ashamed of himself. As Jack’s friend he should be happy for him when the day to leave New York finally came. Instead he closed his eyes and breathed his thanks into the crisp Manhattan morning air that he was granted another day with Jack, another chance to make him see how much he’s already got in his life, to make him _stay_.

It was like fighting against windmills, though. While Crutchie was someone who tried to see the good in everything Jack was not. Whenever they were sitting together with the boys Crutchie liked to focus on the shared smiles and laughter, the brotherly bickering and love and companionship and support most of their friends didn’t have before they came to the Lodging House. He knew Jack saw that, too. But at the same time Jack couldn’t overlook the way Buttons coughed with the beginning of a cold once winter came. He couldn’t unsee how Specs didn’t eat dinner just so Elmer and Smalls could have a little more food at the end of a difficult selling day in the cold, and he couldn’t ignore the way Albert came home bruised and limping after another run-in with the Delancey brothers, or the worry in Race’s eyes when Albert hid away from them for the rest of the night. The bad things always took up more space in Jack’s mind than they ought to, because in the end Buttons got better, and Smalls and Elmer would share an ice cream cone with Specs once spring and with it warmer weather arrived, and Albert always gave as good as he got, sometimes even more if the fact that Oscar Delancey was missing at the circulation gate the next day was any indication, something Race loved to take note of rather loudly and gleefully.

Crutchie hated it when Jack only saw the bad things in their lives, the broken bits and pieces. Their friends were more than their worries and fears, more than their pangs of hunger and shivers of cold in winter, more than their bruises and heads bowed in shame just as Crutchie was more than just his bad leg. They were friends, brothers, _family_ and that was so much more important than all the hardships they faced daily. Even though Crutchie barely remembered his parents now he knew a family was supposed to make you feel safe and loved and protected and that’s exactly what his friends did. They might not be his brothers by blood but he loved them just the same. He couldn’t understand how Jack couldn’t see that he didn’t have to run away to Santa Fe to find a family when he already had one right here in New York.

So Crutchie tried, every day, to show Jack what he couldn’t see – that he was loved and wanted and needed. He pointed out all the happiness he could find around them, from the way Albert and Race bickered each morning to the smile on Elmer’s face when he managed to sell all his papers or the grateful sighs at dinner when all of them got to go to bed with a full belly for once. And he tried to make Jack laugh as often as possible, sometimes with little antics of his own, sometimes by mocking the day’s headline and making up one that was so ridiculous even the grumpiest person couldn’t help but crack a smile. He wanted to give Jack a reason to stay, wanted to open his eyes to all the wealth he already had that no money in the world could buy.

The morning before the price for papers had been raised Crutchie thought he’d almost succeeded because Jack had called them family. That hadn’t happened before and Crutchie wished they could have stayed in that moment forever, just the two of them on the rooftop. Right then it hadn’t mattered that Jack still wanted to leave because he’d finally realized what Crutchie had always known, that New York had something Santa Fe would never have: their family. For the briefest of moments Crutchie allowed himself to hope that he and the boys would finally be enough to keep Jack in New York and turn his dreams of living in Santa Fe into the wistful longing for a vacation, nothing more.

He’d never been so wrong in his life.

Their family hadn’t been enough to make Jack stay. Crutchie hadn’t been enough, and that hurt more than anything Snyder had done to him in the Refuge. After days in that horrible place filled with pain and fear and so much longing he’d made it out just in time to see Jack finally deciding to leave for good.

Without him.

A part of Crutchie broke that day.

He remembered a time when he and Jack were inseparable. They’d spent hours upon hours on the rooftop, sharing stories and hopes and dreams and even their darkest fears they trusted no one else with. They planned a future together – always together – and no matter how tentative and impossible those plans had seemed Crutchie couldn’t help but hold onto them in those dark moments when even he had trouble finding some light in life.

It was what he clung to in the Refuge when he refused to admit how badly hurt he really was, both inside and out. During those terrible days he’d desperately longed for just one more night in Jack’s penthouse in the sky, breathing in the fresh air with the sound of Jack’s soft breathing slowly lulling him to sleep. As he lay there on the dirty mattress with his whole body aching he would have given anything to have Jack paint their future with his words and smiles just one more time. But Jack hadn’t been there so Crutchie had tried his best in his letter and imagined Jack finally getting to ride that Palomino he was so fond of. He left himself out of that picture, though, because Palominos and Santa Fe were Jack’s dream.

Crutchie’s dream was different.

Crutchie’s Santa Fe had always been Jack.

But his Santa Fe didn’t matter, not when the real city suddenly beckoned Jack more than ever and seemed so close and real he could almost touch it. There was nothing Crutchie could do but watch helplessly as Jack reached out to it without glancing back even once at the boy to whom he meant the world. It was Davey and Katherine who stopped him in the end, who were enough to make him stay. It wasn’t Crutchie’s reminder that New York held Jack’s family that kept him home, it was Katherine’s promise to stay by his side, to share his life, and Crutchie felt hollow because hadn’t he promised Jack the same thing, over and over again a million different times with words and smiles and little things?

He wasn’t Katherine, though. He wasn’t gorgeous or successful, making a name for himself in the world. And he wasn’t Davey either because Davey was smart and went to school and helped a lot more with the strike than Crutchie ever could have. They hadn’t known Jack nearly as long as Crutchie had yet during those past few days it seemed they had effortlessly managed what Crutchie had tried and failed to do for years: give Jack a reason to stay.

It made Crutchie feel hollow inside.

After the strike things were different.

Jack still was the center of attention but now he usually shared it with Davey and Katherine. At first Crutchie continued to gravitate towards him despite feeling like a third wheel in their presence, unable to measure up to them. It was Katherine now who made Jack laugh when he was in a dark mood and Davey whose shoulders Jack slung his arm over in the middle of a conversation. Crutchie sometimes wished he could hate them for it but Davey and Katherine were amazing, each in their own unique way, and he just couldn’t. They made Jack happy and Crutchie had rarely seen him smile so honestly and carefree as he did when he was with them.

It made his heart ache that he hadn’t been able to give Jack that.

So Crutchie grew quiet and slowly faded into the background of Jack’s life as Jack started dreaming of a life in New York instead of Santa Fe. After a while Davey and Les stopped selling papers and went back to school when their father was healthy again. Katherine’s career took off after the strike, as did Jack’s. He went from selling papers all day and working for Pulitzer in the evening to only selling papers in the morning to selling none at all. Consequently, Crutchie saw less and less of him. Most nights Jack came back late to the Lodging House, having spent the evening with Katherine and Davey more often than not. The rooftop became a cold and lonely place as summer turned into autumn.

Two months before Christmas Jack announced what Crutchie had feared all along was coming – that he was finally making enough money as a cartoonist to afford his own flat. He made Specs the new leader of the Manhattan newsies and gave Crutchie his old newsboy’s hat as a farewell gift.

He didn’t ask Crutchie to come with him.

It took all of Crutchie’s strength to keep smiling as he congratulated Jack on his new life. He wanted to hug him, steal one last memory from Jack before he left but Jack was already turning away from him to talk to Race and Crutchie missed his chance. He watched Jack say goodbye to everyone, pack up his meager belongings and leave with one last wave to them all. Crutchie smiled through all of it like his heart wasn’t breaking into a thousand pieces. At least it wasn’t Santa Fe, he tried to tell himself. There was still a chance he could be running into Jack every now and then. It wasn’t enough but it was better than nothing.

He had never realized how big New York could be.

Crutchie sometimes caught glimpses of Jack at the end of a long day when not even his bad leg was good enough to sell all the papers he had bought in the morning. Jack always looked healthy and happy when he left work, and the times Katherine was waiting for him he looked positively radiant. His cheeks weren’t red from standing in the freezing cold all day but from excitement and there was a spring in his step Crutchie had rarely seen before. Some days Jack would spot him and wave, ask him how his day’s been. Most days he only had eyes for Katherine, though, and Crutchie would duck his head and hurry past them to sell back his papers and get out of the weather. 

Then Christmas came.

It used to be Crutchie’s favorite time of the year. He loved the lights, the busy streets that were good for selling, the smiling children and the excitement of the younger newsies when Kloppman brought them a pitiful looking Christmas tree no one had wanted to buy. They always made their own decorations out of unsold papers, cutting out snowflakes and stars and little sleighs. It wasn’t much but it was theirs and it made them happy. This year there was something missing, though – the tiny origami animals only Jack knew how to make.

The tree looked wrong without them.

Without warning Crutchie’s eyes filled with tears. The smile slipped off his face and he stood up abruptly, not wanting his brothers to see.

Specs had noticed, anyway. A few minutes after Crutchie left the room he sat down next to him on the creaky mattress of his bunk. Crutchie’s glad Specs gave him at least a little time to compose himself before coming in even though he’s sure his eyes were red from crying and gave his inner turmoil away.

He was right, because after a moment Specs confessed into the silence of the room that he missed Jack, too. Crutchie knew it was not the same and some childish part of him wanted to protest and say that no one could miss Jack like he did. But then Specs’ arms came up around him and Crutchie allowed himself to be drawn into Specs’ embrace and enjoy the first bit of real physical comfort he’s received since the Refuge. It felt good to be held and Specs was one of his best friends. He wasn’t Jack, though, and he would never be able to measure up to him just like Crutchie couldn’t measure up to Katherine and Davey. But Specs had lost a brother, too, and maybe he needed this moment of reassurance as much as Crutchie did.

Quietly, almost afraid to say the words, Crutchie asked Specs if Jack had talked to him about coming to their Christmas party tomorrow. He felt Specs shake his head and closed his eyes in grief. He knew Jack would probably be spending the evening with Katherine and her family. A year ago Crutchie would have laughed if someone had told him that Jack would eat Christmas dinner with the Pulitzers. Now he didn’t feel like laughing at all.

When he was sure his eyes were no longer brimming with tears Crutchie braved the world again and pulled away from Specs’ warm embrace. He glanced at Jack’s old hat where it was resting against his pillow. Next to it lay his Christmas present for Jack, enveloped in yesterday’s news. Jack deserved so much more than that, Crutchie thought sadly.

Specs’ eyes followed his gaze and he reached for the present. Thoughtfully he turned it over in his hands while he inquired why Crutchie hadn’t given it to Jack already if he was so sure Jack wouldn’t come. Crutchie gave him a shrug because in the end it’s just a stupid sketchbook that Jack must have a dozen of by now. Specs looked at him with a mix of surprise and sadness. They both knew Crutchie spent a small fortune on the present. He’s had that sketchbook since before the strike, kept it safe and hidden for half a year. It had been on sale and at the time he had all but begged Specs to loan him the few pennies he’d been lacking so he could buy it. He’d been so happy back then to be able to give Jack something really nice for Christmas for once.

It seemed like a lifetime ago.

Specs gently smoothed out the newspaper wrapping, insisting that Jack would love the present no matter what because it was from Crutchie and that was what was important. When Crutchie looked away and shook his head Specs reached for his hands and squeezed them. He was sure of it, he told Crutchie.

Crutchie wasn’t, though, and he drew his hands away. He hated the way Specs’ expression fell. He used to make people laugh and tried to bring a little joy into their lives. Now he barely talked to anyone anymore and when he did he only made them sad. He didn’t want to be like this but it was Christmas and his heart was hurting and he was just so tired of pretending to be fine and he missed Jack with every fiber of his being. Maybe after Christmas, when that special time for family was over, he’d be able to pick himself up and figure out how to be Crutchie without Jack, but right now he just … couldn’t.

He told Specs that, and he told him he was sorry. Specs nodded but he didn’t reach for Crutchie’s hands again and Crutchie would never admit it but he already missed the contact. Instead Specs looked down at the wrapped sketchbook and asked what Crutchie intended to do with it.

Crutchie hadn’t really thought about it but all of a sudden he wanted it gone, out of his sight. Specs could give it to one of the boys – Henry sometimes liked to draw even though he wasn’t as good at it as Jack, no one was – or he could try to sell it, Crutchie didn’t care. Maybe Specs would find someone it would make happy.

Specs nodded, holding the sketchbook close to his chest as if it was something special, and stood up. He promised to do his best before telling Crutchie to get some sleep because maybe tomorrow would be a better day. Crutchie doubted it but sleep sounded better than facing all the Christmas cheer in the next room so he wrapped his blanket around him and tried to tune out the happy noises filtering in through the door. His hand reached out to Jack’s old hat and he pulled it close, the last remnant of the star he’d been orbiting around for most of his life and all the more dear to him because of it. He wondered if that storm of longing and missing inside of him would ever stop.

Even though Jack never left for Santa Fe he’d left Crutchie behind just the same, and Crutchie felt his loss with all his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading! I don't know when exactly chapter two will be up because I still have to edit it but the wait shouldn't be too long. Like I said, the story is already finished (at over 15,000 words currently).
> 
> Meanwhile I'd be very happy to find some fellow fansies on tumblr, so please don't hesitate saying hello! You can find me at ailendolin.tumblr.com =) I'd love to talk to you about anything Newsies!


	2. Specs

**Chapter 2: Specs**

_So I sit in the vacuum you left behind_  
 _And I sift through each phrase for an ember_  
 _For a spark that will light cause I can’t rewind_  


After the strike Specs started to worry.

Actually, that’s not true. The moment the strike began Specs started to worry. He knew they were fighting for a good cause – not just for their own rights but for those of every other working minority society thought they could trample all over. Specs didn’t doubt the necessity of the strike but he feared its repercussions all the same. As a newsie you learned fast to stay under the radar and not draw any unwanted attention to yourself. A strike was the very opposite of what life on the streets had taught him and while Specs wasn’t afraid of anything happening to him the thought of one of his brothers facing the anger of the world because of what they dared to do gave him nightmares.

And the thing with nightmares was that, sometimes, they came true.

Of course it would be Crutchie who’d get targeted. They should have seen it coming. It was nothing new, after all. The Delancey brothers had always taken perverse pleasure in singling Crutchie out because of his bad leg, knocking him down, calling him names and laughing in his face while they took his crutch and with it his independence away. But Crutchie stood up to them day after day with a cheeky smile and a witty phrase on his lips, ready to give back as good as he got. He took such painstaking care to prove to himself and the world that his bad leg didn’t bother him, that it didn’t define him, that sometimes Specs and the other newsies forgot that that wasn’t true. Crutchie might not let his leg slow him down but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt or put him at a disadvantage – just as it had the day he was taken to the Refuge.

Specs would never forgive himself for allowing that to happen. He knew he wasn’t the only one. Crutchie was special – not because of his leg but because of his uncanny ability to light up even the gloomiest room with his smile. He was the one everyone went to for comfort when they were sad because they knew Crutchie would make them smile again one way or another. With his seemingly never-ending optimism he could put a positive spin on even the darkest day, something the newsies often were in need of when the papers sold so badly a lot of them had to go to bed hungry.

His optimism was part of the reason Crutchie and Jack made such a good team. Where Jack was all passion Crutchie was all heart. Jack might have been a born leader but Crutchie was always just a step behind him, ready to offer support to him and everyone else in any way he could. He kept his feet firmly on the ground when Jack’s head got lost in the clouds, always willing to let Jack dream while at the same time gently tugging him back down to Earth again. Jack was the one most of the boys looked up to and asked for guidance. Crutchie was the one they came to when they needed a shoulder to cry on or just someone who listened.

Not for the first time Specs wondered who Crutchie went to for comfort. Jack was many things but he wasn’t a good listener. He could rouse people with passionate and powerful speeches but when it came to comforting someone he was clumsy and often resorted back to dreaming instead of problem-solving. Specs had no doubt that Crutchie had shared more with Jack than anyone else but he wouldn’t be surprised if Jack never truly grasped everything Crutchie was and wasn’t saying.

One thing Specs knew for sure, though: Jack didn’t fully appreciate all the things Crutchie did for him, especially the small ones. He sometimes took Crutchie for granted and Specs hated that Jack never realized how much his talk of running away to Santa Fe must hurt him. Crutchie hid it well but when one knew what to look for they saw the way he would wince, the balled-up fist against the handle of his crutch, or the tension around his eyes, gone in the blink of an eye. Crutchie never said anything, though. He just smiled a little more firmly and Specs couldn’t help but think of it as some kind of armor Crutchie put on at the start of the day to protect himself and those around him from the harsh world out there.

He even wore it at the Refuge when Specs came to visit him. It had broken Specs’ heart to see his brother sporting a black eye, various scrapes and bruises, a more heavy limp and who knew what else beneath his bloody clothes and despite all that still smile at him. Crutchie had smiled as if he wasn’t terrified of that horrible place, as if he wasn’t disappointed that his brothers had run away in fear without looking back and left him behind, as if he wasn’t hurt.

He was the bravest person Specs knew.

Crutchie hadn’t even begged him to get him out of that hellish place, something everyone in their right mind would do. Instead he’d simply given him a letter, his voice only slightly desperate as he asked Specs to deliver it to Jack, and then he’d sent Specs off with another smile, a thumbs-up and the promise that he’d be alright. They both knew he wouldn’t be. The Refuge was not kind to kids and it was downright nasty to those already screwed over by life. No one made it out unscathed. Specs knew that from personal experience. He hated having to leave Crutchie behind but at the time he didn’t have a choice.

He only saw Crutchie again when the strike was over, days later. At first glance Crutchie had looked alright with his bright smile and eagerness to put his tormenter behind bars. But then Jack mentioned leaving for Santa Fe and his words carried Crutchie’s smile away like a leaf on the wind and he seemed to fold in on himself even though his posture didn’t change. When Jack decided to stay the smile reappeared but it was pale in comparison to before.

As the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months Specs kept an eye on Crutchie. He watched as Crutchie tried to understand where the bond between Jack, Katherine and Davey had come from. He watched as Crutchie tried to find his place in this new world order only to admit defeat in the end and allow himself to be sidelined by Davey and Katherine. He sat with Crutchie the first night Jack didn’t come home without telling them, trying to reassure Crutchie that everything was fine and Jack was probably just staying at Katherine’s for the night.

(Everything had been fine but Crutchie had still been sick with worry and when in the morning at the circulation gate Jack actually had the audacity to make a joke about the dark circles beneath Crutchie’s eyes Specs had taken Jack aside and given him a good talking to. That was the last time Jack didn’t tell them when he was spending the night somewhere else.)

Specs watched as Jack got busy with his new life and was slowly leaving them all behind. He didn’t begrudge Jack his fortune but he hated seeing the light in Crutchie’s eyes dim when Jack spent less and less time with them and eventually moved out of the Lodging House altogether, leaving only his hat and a thousand memories and dreams behind. He hated even more that Crutchie didn’t fight for him and just quietly accepted his fate. He hated the most that Jack seemed to have no idea how much pain he was causing.

And he hated himself for not knowing how to help, how to make things right.

Then Christmas came, and with it a sad little excuse for a tree that was as unwanted by the world out there as most of the boys in the Lodging House were. Specs watched as some of the younger newsies eagerly made decorations out of old newspapers, every now and then lifting one of his brothers up so they could hang their self-made snowflake or angel on one of the higher branches of the tree. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw the exact moment Crutchie’s expression changed from vague disinterest to pure heartbreak, when he realized that the tree would be different this year, what it would be missing – _who_ all of them would be missing. Before he could say anything Crutchie hurried out of the room with his head down, his limp more pronounced than usual.

The room fell silent.

“Is he alright?” Romeo asked quietly as Specs put him back on the ground.

“He hasn’t been alright since Jack left,” Smalls murmured, looking as worried as Specs felt. “I miss his smile. He’s never happy anymore.”

“Should we talk to him?” Race asked, looking up from his card game with Albert, a worried frown on his face.

“Nothing we can do,” Albert said. “Only Jack can fix this.”

Specs sighed. “We can at least try.”

Crutchie had been crying, that much was obvious the moment Specs sat down next to him. He drew him close, offered what little comfort he could in a situation that seemed utterly hopeless. He wondered how Crutchie kept all those feelings bottled up, day after day, without breaking from the strain of holding it all in. He’d always been the strongest of them all, but at what price? Seeing him now, so insecure of his present for Jack when half a year ago he’d been so excited about it, made something inside of Specs snap. He was tired of watching helplessly while one of his two best friends mourned the loss of his family and the other lived his life completely unaware of it all. He knew he couldn’t really help Crutchie right now but he could try knocking some sense into Jack – and Crutchie’s hard-earned sketchbook would help him with that.

The others looked up at him expectantly when he came back into the room.

“How is he?” Race asked.

“Trying to get some sleep,” Specs told them because the last thing they needed to hear was how Crutchie was missing Jack so much he had been crying.

“Is he okay?” Smalls whispered.

“We’ll make sure he will be,” Specs promised with newfound hope. He held up the wrapped sketchbook for all to see. “I’ve got a plan.”

The next morning, Specs, Smalls, Albert and Race watched Crutchie limp off towards his usual selling spot after they all got their papers, trying their best to be inconspicuous as they lingered at The World. They knew Jack’s shift started in just a few minutes and they didn’t dare leave and risk missing him. Specs wasn’t taking any chances, not today.

They huddled together for warmth and true enough it didn’t take long for Jack to make his way around the corner. He stopped in surprise when he saw them waiting for him.

“What are you still doing here?” he said by way of greeting. “You’re missing the morning rush.”

“We need to talk.”

Jack huffed out a laugh. “That sounds ominous.”

Smalls got right up in his face. “It’s no laughing matter, Jack Kelly! This is about Crutchie.”

The amusement faded from Jack’s eyes and turned into worry. He looked from Smalls to Specs. “What about Crutchie? Is he alright?”

“Depends on your definition of alright,” Albert mumbled. Race nodded in agreement and the worry in Jack’s eyes grew.

Specs took a deep breath, stepping in. “Crutchie’s fine. Physically, at least.”

“He ain’t been walking so good lately, though,” Race piped in helpfully.

Jack’s face filled with sorrow and he looked over his shoulder in the general direction of Crutchie’s selling spot as if he could see him if he just squinted hard enough against the morning sun. “His leg’s always giving him trouble in winter,” he murmured. His words, the affection and concern in them, gave Specs hope.

“His leg’s not the problem,” he said, gaining Jack’s attention once more. “You are.” He pushed Crutchie’s present into Jack’s startled hands. “He didn’t say anything when you started spending more and more time with Katherine and Davey. He didn’t say anything when you kept him up all night with worry because you didn’t come home. He didn’t say anything when you moved out. And he’s not going to say anything now that he thinks you’re not going to spend Christmas with us.” With each word Jack seemed to be getting smaller, looking nothing like the leader that won them the strike. “But I’m not Crutchie and I’m sick of it, Jack! I’m sick of seeing him missing you and doubting himself because you went and left him behind. He deserves better, especially from you of all people, and you damn well better make sure that kid has something to smile about this evening or so help me god!”

Specs was breathing heavily by the time he was finished. He’d never talked to anyone like that before but it felt good to finally give voice to all his worries and frustrations. Jack stared at him with wide shocked eyes and when he opened his mouth Specs thought he was going to argue, get defensive, but instead Jack asked, voice small, “Why do you think I’m not going to spend Christmas with you?”

Taken aback, Specs looked at Smalls, Race and Albert who shrugged. “You never said you were. Crutchie thought you’re spending the evening with Katherine and her family.”

Jack snorted out a laugh. “Can you honestly see me sitting at Ol’ Joe’s table, pretending to be rich folk?”

While Race cracked a smile Specs shook his head in confusion. “So you’re not?”

“I’m definitely not,” Jack confirmed. “Katherine and I were planning on coming over to the Lodging House after work. I honestly thought we’d told you,” he added apologetically.

“Well, you haven’t,” Albert said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “We’ve barely seen you since you moved out so forgive us for assuming we wouldn’t see you today either.”

Specs nodded. “We’re happy for you, Jack, we truly are, but sometimes it feels like you’ve moved on and forgotten all about us. And that hurts.”

“We miss you,” Smalls added. “Crutchie most of all.”

Jack stared down at the present he was still holding awkwardly, looking ashamed. “This is from him, isn’t it?”

“He wanted me to give it to someone else,” Specs confirmed with a hint of accusation. “He thought you wouldn’t want it anymore.”

The unspoken _He thought you wouldn’t want him anymore_ hang heavy in the crisp winter air between them.

Jack closed his eyes, a pained expression on his face as he clutched the sketchbook more tightly. “I know I haven’t been a good friend these last few months,” he began. “Not to you and certainly not to Crutchie. After the strike everything was different and exciting and a little overwhelming, to be honest. I had to find my footing again, figure out where life was leading me. And when I did I … I had an idea and I guess I got carried away? You know, like with my dreaming and painting?”

Race snorted while Albert rolled his eyes. They all knew how Jack got when he became obsessed with something.

“I know that’s no excuse but it’s the truth and that’s all I can say in my defense. Guess I lost sight of what truly mattered, huh?”

In that moment Jack looked so pitiful and apologetic that Specs couldn’t be angry at him any longer. He was still his friend, no matter how bad of a job he made of it, so he took a step forward and drew Jack into a hug. “Yes, you did,” Specs muttered and he felt Jack’s hand clutching the back of his jacket tightly.

“I’m sorry, fellas,” Jack said ruefully after he stepped back from the embrace, looking at each of them in turn.

“It’s Crutchie you need to apologize to,” Smalls told him matter-of-factly when his eyes met hers, unwilling to forgive and forget so easily.

Jack nodded, glancing down at the present Crutchie got him. “And I will, I promise. I’ve got a huge surprise for him that will make him happy.”

“It better,” Smalls warned, “or I’ll kick your ass.”

Jack smiled. “I’m pretty sure there’ll be a line.”

“Well, I’ll be first,” Smalls declared. Specs could see the beginnings of a grin on her face.

“I wouldn’t expect anything else,” Jack said.

A tension in the air Specs hadn’t even noticed before dissipated and for the first time in months he felt like the broken pieces of his family were finally beginning to mend. He hadn’t lied to Crutchie when he told him he missed Jack as well. Specs had never wanted to be the leader of the Manhattan newsies and even though he felt honored Jack entrusted him with that responsibility it felt good to have Jack back with them again, even if only for one day.

“So, what kind of surprise are we talking about?” Race asked.

A thoughtful look crossed Jack’s face before a grin lit up his eyes. “How about I show you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone for reading and especially to those who left kudos on the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed chapter 2 as well. I chose Specs as the pov character because in the musical he's the one to give Crutchie's letter to Jack and to me that implies that he's a good friend of both of them. 
> 
> Chapter 3 will hopefully be up by next Sunday. It's twice as long as both chapter 1 and 2 put together and will take a little longer to edit. 
> 
> Meanwhile I'd still be happy to talk to about Newsies with someone, so don't hesitate to say hi on tumblr @ailendolin


	3. Jack

**Chapter 3: Jack**

_If we’re gonna go, we gotta go tonight_

_Go tonight, go tonight_

After the strike Jack became busy.

In just a few days his entire world had been turned upside down and then righted itself again and became even better than before. He found new friends, new love and even a new job that offered him a future selling newspapers never could. And most importantly he helped manage to ensure that his brothers were treated more fairly in the future and wouldn’t be underestimated anymore. All of this almost made everything that happened during the strike worth it.

Almost.

Jack would be the first person to admit he wasn’t perfect. He tended to make rash decisions born out of passionate beliefs and righteous fury. At the same time, when things got rough, he liked to get lost inside his head and dream of a better life instead of facing the troubles he had and dealing with them. Because of this he almost threw away his and his brothers’ only chance to change the world for the better.

Because of this, and because of Crutchie.

Even now, months after the strike, Jack still sometimes heard Crutchie calling to him for help in his dreams. He’d never forget how scared Crutchie had sounded that day, how terrified he’d looked when he’d been left behind, reaching out for help that wouldn’t come. Jack hated that he put that look on Crutchie’s face, that he was the one who let Crutchie down the most even though he once promised he’d always look out for him. He’d failed, his own terror overriding his need to help and in a split second decision between fight or flight Jack had chosen the latter.

He knew he would never forgive himself for that.

Even worse, he’d planned on leaving New York without making sure Crutchie was alright. He might have only taken the deal to protect his friends, but by then it had already been too late for Crutchie, hadn’t it? Crutchie had already been stuck in the Refuge, hurt, alone and scared – but still as brave and courageous and proud as Jack had ever known him. His letter was testament to that. Crutchie hadn’t written it to ask for help – he’d never ask for anything for himself if he could help it – but to ask Jack to make sure no one else got hurt.

Jack wasn’t stupid, though. He knew a goodbye letter when he read one. Those few words, written shakily and a little sloppily and smudged by what Jack really hoped weren’t tears, had been Crutchie’s last message to him. And instead of blaming Jack for what happened and accusing him of running away, Crutchie had apologized for allowing himself to be taken and even tried to put a positive spin on his predicament for Jack’s sake. It broke Jack’s heart because Crutchie was still trying to protect him even though Jack had failed to keep him safe.

What he’d read between the lines made dread settle in his stomach like a heavy stone. Jack wasn’t surprised the guards had it out for Crutchie the moment he entered the Refuge – a boy who couldn’t run away was the perfect target, after all, especially when you took away his crutch. He also wasn’t surprised Crutchie hadn’t gotten any food because he knew from personal experience that the Spider didn’t feed his prey daily and even when he did it was never enough for everyone. _Never_. Hurt as Crutchie was and without his crutch he wouldn’t have stood a chance to get his hands on some food even if it had been available to him.

Crutchie hadn’t known that yet when he wrote the letter, though. He hadn’t known how bad the Refuge could get. But he’d heard enough from Jack and Race and Mush and everyone else who’d been forced to serve a sentence there that the chances of him making it out on his own were slim at best. Jack had seen the proof of that when he went to visit Crutchie and Crutchie hadn’t been able to make it out of his bed and across the small space to the window. He wouldn’t tell what had happened to him since he gave Specs the letter and Jack couldn’t see much in the dim moonlight filtering through the bars but he heard the hitch in Crutchie’s breath when he tried to move and he heard the tears of fear and pain Crutchie tried to hide when he told Jack to go before Snyder caught him.

After that harrowing experience of seeing Crutchie in the Refuge Jack was even more certain that the strike had been a bad idea and he needed to keep the rest of his brothers safe, even if it meant turning away from them, turning against them. Of course Davey, Katherine and Les wouldn’t allow that and changed his mind, and Katherine even came up with a plan. And it worked! They actually managed to get all the newsies of New York together to take on The World and The Journal and everyone else who thought they were so much more privileged than them – _and they won_. Even better, they got the Refuge shut down in the process, too. No child in Manhattan would ever have to be afraid of that place again.

And Crutchie was free.

Compared to the last time Jack had seen him through the barred window Crutchie looked almost healthy when he stepped into the square. He had a faded black eye and several bruises that looked painful but he stood straight and proud and laughed like he hadn’t been through hell at all. Jack had wanted nothing more than to run to him, pull him into his arms and never let him go. He didn’t, though, because as much as Crutchie tried to pretend he was fine Jack knew that wasn’t true. It couldn’t be, not when Crutchie had been hurt so bad just a few days ago he couldn’t even stand up. The last thing Jack wanted was to cause him more pain.

Then Pulitzer had made him an offer he’d wanted to refuse out of habit because Santa Fe was finally within reach and calling him, even if the call was faint and didn’t hold the same appeal it used to. He hadn’t needed much convincing from Davey, Katherine and Crutchie to stay in the end, especially when Crutchie reminded him that they were family. He’d let down his family once before and when he saw the hopeful look on Crutchie’s bruised face Jack couldn’t have left even if he’d wanted to. In that moment he promised himself he would do anything to keep his brother smiling like that.

The problem was, though, that Jack was bad at keeping promises and always tended to go about them the wrong way.

When the job with Pulitzer turned into a real opportunity plans began to take shape in Jack’s head that had nothing and everything to do with Santa Fe. He had no real desire to leave New York anymore but he knew he couldn’t stay a newsie forever either. His time to go was coming, he’d known that for a while now. He also knew he once promised Crutchie to take him away, to take him with him when he left and that was exactly what he intended to do, even if it wasn’t Santa Fe where he was going.

Crutchie would go with him – just not right away.

It took time for Jack to prove his worth and become a full employee of The World, to have a steady and reliable income every month. It took even more time to save up enough money to set his plans in motion. And it took the help of Davey and Katherine to finally turn his dreams, so different now from what they used to be, into reality. Without them, Jack knew, he’d have been lost. He wouldn’t have known where to even start looking for a new home or what to watch out for in the advertisements or what renting an apartment actually meant and entailed. Katherine and Davey’s constant support and all the effort they put into helping him to start a new life were worth more than any money in the world.

But all that planning on top of working a regular job had been time-consuming and it wasn’t until Christmas when Specs accused him in the middle of the street of moving on without Crutchie that Jack truly realized how preoccupied he’d been these last few months since the strike. It hadn’t even occurred to him that by trying to build a life for Crutchie and himself, by keeping it a secret so he could surprise him once everything was ready, he had done exactly what he hadn’t wanted to do: he’d left Crutchie behind. He hadn’t noticed how much time he spent with Davey and Katherine and how little he saw of his brothers anymore, Crutchie included. All those evenings spent away from the Lodging House when they were trying to figure out Jack’s future rushed through his head – evenings Crutchie had spent alone on the rooftop until it got too cold to sleep outside, always waiting for Jack’s return, no matter how long it took.

And then that one evening they had all fallen asleep at Davey’s and Davey’s parents hadn’t had the heart to wake them up – the evening he kept Crutchie waiting until morning and hadn’t even realized how worried he had been and even made fun of how tired he’d looked. He hadn’t thought his words – harmless teasing that they were – through because he was still giddy with excitement from their breakthrough the night before. They’d managed to find two apartments Jack could actually afford and they were going to take a look at them later that day. But that didn’t change the fact that he should have known better and it shouldn’t have taken Specs to chew him out to realize what he’d put his brothers through the night before. The Refuge might be shut down now but not so long ago a newsie not making it to the Lodging House at night had almost always meant something bad had happened to them. Of course Crutchie had been worried sick and keeping an eye on the door the whole night in the hope that Jack would finally come home. Old habits die hard and the Refuge certainly wasn’t the only danger out there. Jack had felt guilty about giving two of his best friends a sleepless night and while he made sure that never happened again he also told himself it was ultimately worth it because if he could just rent one of those apartments it wouldn’t take long until everything would be ready and he could finally tell Crutchie why he’d been so absent lately.

Things turned out differently, though, as they so often tended to do. The first apartment they looked at had damp walls and all the windows faced buildings standing so close it was impossible to see the sky. Jack couldn’t imagine living there, at least not happily, and he knew the damp would wreak havoc on Crutchie’s leg, especially in winter.

The second apartment was everything the first one was not. It was located just halfway between the Lodging House and The World, so they’d be both close to work and to their friends. The two small rooms, one bedroom and one living room with a kitchen aisle on one side, were well-lit thanks to several large windows. The living room even had a small balcony – just wide enough for two people to stand next to each other and see the sky high up above them, and it was reminiscent enough of the rooftop that Jack immediately fell in love. He knew Crutchie would, too.

So, the apartmen was perfect.

The problem was he didn’t have the money to turn the empty apartment into a home, at least not right away. After paying the bills Jack barely had enough money left to buy himself a mattress to sleep on at night, much less a proper bed. It had been just him, his make-shift bed, his meager belongings, two plotted plants Katherine and Davey had given him when he moved in and a broken kitchen for the first month. The kitchen took priority the next time he got paid and he used his spare time to fix it up with the help of Davey’s father. By then December had arrived and Jack had planned on buying beds and another mattress for Crutchie once he got his Christmas bonus so he could ask Crutchie to move in with him on New Year’s, but Specs, Race, Albert and Smalls stopping him in front of The World on Christmas Day had changed everything.

For the first time Jack realized that getting everything ready had taken too long. He’d wanted the apartmen to be perfect for Crutchie when all Crutchie had wanted was Jack’s time, his attention, his company. All he’d wanted was Jack and Jack had been so busy trying to make him happy that he’d managed to achieve the exact opposite. He’d managed to make Crutchie doubt their friendship to the point of giving away Jack’s Christmas present because he was scared Jack wouldn’t want it anymore. Jack couldn’t believe he had done that to Crutchie. He should have involved him in his search for a aparptment instead of being all secretive about it with Davey and Katherine and shutting him out. He should have made more of an effort to spend time with him despite how busy he’d been. He shouldn’t have moved out without a proper goodbye just because he knew Crutchie would be with him a short while later. He shouldn’t have forgotten Crutchie didn’t know that.

Jack knew he shouldn’t have done a lot of things but he had gone and done them anyway and he couldn’t change that. He could change his plans, however. So what if the apartment wasn’t ready yet? Crutchie wouldn’t mind. They’d shared a mattress on the rooftop of the Lodging House countless of times before when it got too cold to sleep on the floor and they could do so again.

A proper bed and furniture could wait. Crutchie could not.

After excusing himself from work for the rest of the day (which raised more than a few disapproving eyebrows) Jack led Specs, Race, Albert and Smalls back the way he’d come and to the small apartment he was renting.

“I thought you live halfway across town,” Race said accusingly when Jack came to a stop not too far from the Lodging House. “Now you’re telling me we’re practically neighbors?”

Jack rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. “Yeah, sorry I didn’t show you before.” He led them up a short flight of stairs. “I wanted to keep it a secret so Crutchie wouldn’t come here until it is ready.”

Race and Albert looked confused, Smalls looked slightly irritated, but realization dawned on Specs’ face as Jack opened the door to what he now called home. “You want Crutchie to come live with you. That’s the surprise.”

Jack grinned at him. “Always knew you were a smart fella.” He spread out his hands. “Welcome to my humble abode. It’s no penthouse in the sky but it’s dry and warm, at least.”

“And messy,” Albert commented dryly as he took in the living room. Several large boxes lined the walls instead of shelves and in place of a table and chairs cans of paint cluttered the floor, some empty, some not.

Embarrassed, Jack picked up a can. “Well, I thought I had another week to get things in order. I didn’t plan to surprise Crutchie today.”

Smalls narrowed her eyes at him. “But you do now,” she said and it sounded like a warning, as if she dared Jack to say anything but yes.

“Yeah, I do,” Jack said softly. “Do you think Crutchie will like it?”

“Crutchie will love it,” Specs reassured him. “There’s no doubt about that.”

Smalls, Albert and Race nodded in agreement.

“You might want to clean up a little, though,” Race suggested, his eyes glinting with amusement. “Wouldn’t do to have Crutchie stumble over one of those cans and break the one good leg he’s got left.”

“That would ruin the surprise a bit, wouldn’t it?” Jack asked with a sheepish grin. “I’ll get right to it. And you better start selling or all the last-minute shoppers will already be back home by the time you reach your spots.”

Specs nodded. “Jack’s right. Let’s go, fellas.” He hung back a little as Albert, Race and Smalls waved goodbye and stepped out the door, and took out a newspaper. “Our Christmas tree is missing some paper animals.”

Jack took the paper from him. “Got it,” he smiled and handed Specs a coin. Before Specs could react he pulled him into a short but tight embrace. “Thank you, Specs. You’re a real good friend.”

“So are you,” Specs said as they drew back. “You just need a little help every now and then when you get lost in that dreaming head of yours.”

After Specs left Jack got to work. He started by throwing out the empty cans and neatly stacking the ones that still contained some paint against the wall so no one would trip over them. He moved the boxes next to the door so Davey, his family, Katherine and he could easily reach them when they left for the Lodging House later that day. Those boxes contained their presents for the newsies and Jack was glad Race, Albert, Specs and Smalls hadn’t asked him about them, not wanting to ruin the surprise for them.

Next, he took the newspaper he bought from Specs and a pair of scissors and sat down on the mattress in the bedroom to begin his work on the little paper animals Crutchie was so fond of. He took meticulous care when folding them and even made a few extra ones that he stuck to the windows. He might not have a Christmas tree but he hoped Crutchie would appreciate the effort nonetheless. When he was done he put the rest of the folded paper animals into his old newsie bag, together with Crutchie’s present for him and his own present for Crutchie and placed it next to the boxes by the door.

By the time Jack was finished with all his preparations and had swept the floor it was getting dark outside. He barely had a moment to breathe until there was a knock on his door, heralding the arrival of Davey, his family and Katherine. He greeted them all with a big smile and the words, “Change of plans. Crutchie’s moving in tonight.”

“Uhm, alright?” Davey said, blinking at him in surprise.

“What brought on this sudden change of heart?” Katherine asked, pushing past Davey with a box Jack knew to contain food in her arms. Taking in the state of the room she let out a low whistle. “Wow, someone sure cleaned up nice. I don’t think I’ve seen your living room floor since you moved in.”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Very funny.” He pulled on his jacket and reached for his newsie bag. “Specs, Race, Albert and Smalls cornered me before I got to work today and made it quite clear that I’ve been an awful friend lately.”

The amusement vanished from Katherine’s face. “What did they say?”

“That I’ve been taking too long,” Jack said, grabbing one of the boxes. He didn’t want to get into details because Crutchie was someone who valued his privacy when it came to his feelings. It was the reason he put on a smile each morning. Jack knew his happiness wasn’t always fake but Crutchie was the kind of person who rather smiled than cried when he was sad because he didn’t want anyone to worry about him. As far as Jack knew he was the only one Crutchie ever confided in when something was bothering him, so the last thing Jack wanted to do was talk about Crutchie’s troubles with others, especially not when he hadn’t even talked to Crutchie himself yet.

“We did spend an awful lot of time together these last few months,” Davey murmured, reaching for a box filled with presents for their friends, deep in thought.

Les pointed an accusing finger at him. “I told you we haven’t been to Jacobi’s or the Lodging House in ages!”

Propping the box against his hip, Davey ruffled Les’ hair. “I guess we should start listening to you more often, huh?”

“Yes, you should,” Les agreed matter-of-factly with a smug expression.

They laughed and everyone who didn’t already have a box in their hands grabbed one. Jack took one more look around, making sure they had everything, before closing and locking the door behind him. Together, they made the short trek through the snow to the Lodging House. As they were walking Jack turned to Davey’s family and said, “I wanted to thank you for helping me put all this together and bring it over to the boys. I know you don’t celebrate Christmas but I’m sure glad you’re with us this evening.”

Mrs. Jacobs smiled at him like only a mother could. “It’s our pleasure, Jack.”

He turned to Davey and Katherine. “I want to thank you, too. You did so much for me these last few months and I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am. You really are the best.”

“You ain’t so bad yourself,” Katherine told him with a wink.

“I’m just glad all this talk of Santa Fe is finally over,” Davey joked.

Jack lightly shoved him with his shoulder. “You still moaning about that?”

Davey snorted. “Oh, I’m never going to stop,” he promised.

They reached the Lodging House and the warm light and happy voices spilling out onto the streets from inside made Jack smile. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed the boys. It’s been far too long since he spent an evening with them and now that he was here he wished Specs had reminded him of that sooner. No, he thought. He wished he wouldn’t have needed a reminder at all.

Careful to be quiet, Jack stepped inside and for a moment he simply observed his friends. Race and Albert were chasing each other around the room and Jack would bet his hat it was because Albert had stolen Race’s cigar again. JoJo and Buttons were playing a self-made board game with Romeo and Mush in one corner while in another Mike and Ike were singing Christmas carols with Elmer and Henry – each of them a different one, of course. Over by the tree, Finch was carrying Smalls on his shoulders so she could put a crooked paper star on top while Specs and Blink stood by, sharing an amused smile.

Everywhere Jack looked he saw happy faces and his heart warmed at the sight. Then his eyes fell on Crutchie, sitting alone in a corner apart from the rest. He seemed to be trying to fold an animal out of paper just like he’d watched Jack do countless of times, but by the looks of it he wasn’t really succeeding. His eyes looked dull and his trademark smile was replaced by a frustrated frown as Jack watched him try again and again to fold what Jack assumed was supposed to be a crane.

He remembered a Christmas, just a few years ago, when he had asked Crutchie if he wanted to learn how to fold paper into shapes. Crutchie had laughed and shook his head, insisting he was more than happy to just watch Jack do it. Looking at Crutchie now, staring dejectedly at something that used to bring him so much joy, Jack had a feeling Crutchie regretted not taking him up on his offer back then.

Jack did, too.

Seeing Crutchie this sad on Christmas, his favorite holiday, and knowing he was the cause of it, Jack was even more determined to make things right again. So he let the box in his arms fall down to the ground with a loud thud and watched as several heads turned to him, Katherine and Davey and his family. “Merry Christmas, fellas!” he shouted cheerily.

“Jack!”

At once a wave of newsies crashed over him and Jack laughed, happier than he’d been in a long time. He made sure to give every single one of them a big hug, holding on tightly to something he’d neglected for far too long. His eyes searched for Crutchie in the crowd but came up empty. Jack frowned when he finally found his best friend still across the room in the corner. Crutchie was standing up now and leaning heavily against his crutch. There was so much longing in his eyes but he didn’t come closer as if he wasn’t sure whether or not he’d be welcomed. Crutchie never wore his heart on his sleeve like that and it broke a part of Jack to see him so unsure of his place in Jack’s life.

Before Jack could go over to him, however, Elmer asked eagerly, “What’ve you got in those boxes, Jack?”

Reluctantly, Jack turned away from Crutchie for the moment and forced himself to smile. “What do you think, Elmer? Gardening tools, of course!”

Elmer scrunched up his nose and honestly, sometimes that kid was too adorable for his own good. And too gullible. “Gardening tools? We don’t have a garden, Jack. You know that.”

“Don’t we?” Jack pretended to be shocked.  “I swear we had a garden here somewhere.”

“Maybe it’s on the rooftop!” JoJo suggested jokingly.

Several newsies laughed and Finch shouted, “Maybe it’s in Santa Fe!”

More laughter and Jack grinned. How could he have thought running away to Santa Fe could have made him happy when he had everything he longed for and needed right here? He finally saw what Crutchie had been trying to show him all these years: he didn’t need to leave town to find friends who were like family. He already was the richest person in the world.

Elmer stared at Jack suspiciously for a moment. “Katherine?” he asked, turning all his charm onto her instead. “Is there really gardening tools in those boxes?”

Katherine laughed and put her own box down. “Why don’t you take a look and find out?”

Elmer didn’t need to be told twice. He opened the lid and gasped at what he saw. “There’s food!” he exclaimed. “So much food! Is this all for us?”

Katherine nodded with a bright smile, and Davey opened his own box to pull out a blanket. “And there’s more.”

Excited chatter filled the room as the newsies crowded around the boxes, reaching for blankets, shoes, shirts, trouser, cakes and cookies. It was the exact reaction Jack had been hoping for when he sat down with Katherine and Davey and his family a few months ago and told them about his idea to collect clothing and bedding for his friends, knowing how old and threadbare and outgrown some of the things the newsies called their own were. Davey’s parents had mobilized all their friends to donate things they no longer needed while Sarah and her friends had met every week to knit scarves and gloves, sometimes roping Davey into helping them. Katherine, on the other hand, had put her father’s money to good use and bought all the food she could find so the newsies could have a Christmas feast for once.

It had all turned out wonderfully, judging by the smiling faces of their friends and the way they talked excitedly to each other. Jack shared a happy glance with Katherine and squeezed her hand briefly before he slowly disentangled himself from the group and finally made his way over to Crutchie, his paper bag hanging heavily at his side. Crutchie was still standing where Jack had last seen him, staring wide-eyed at Jack as he approached. Jack watched him swallow hard before he tried to put on a smile.

“Hey,” Crutchie said quietly.

“Hey,” Jack replied, hating how awkward they were with each other. “Merry Christmas.”

Crutchie’s smile slipped as he looked over at Katherine. “What happened to Christmas dinner at the Pulitzers’?”

“Nothing,” Jack said. “We always planned to be here today.”

“You did?” Crutchie asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

Jack nodded. “We did. Promise. Now,” Jack said, pulling the little bag of paper animals out of his old paper bag, “seeing as you don’t look like you want to join the boys fighting over the presents how about we finish decorating that tree? I think it’s still missing something.”

Crutchie’s eyes widened when Jack handed him a perfectly folded crane. “You remembered,” he breathed in wonder.

“Specs reminded me, actually,” Jack admitted truthfully and more than a little sheepishly.

“Well,” Crutchie said, still looking at the crane as if it was made of gold, “I’m glad he did.” He paused, briefly glancing over at Katherine and Davey who were happily handing out items to the newsies. “You sure you want me to help you put them on the tree? What about Katherine and Davey?”

“This is our tradition, not Katherine and Davey’s,” Jack reminded him gently. “I want to do this with you and no one else.”

He knew he said the right thing when Crutchie offered him the first honest smile that evening, full of emotions he wasn’t able to hide for once. It brightened up the room in a way a thousand candles couldn’t and Jack sincerely hoped it wouldn’t be the last time he saw Crutchie smile like that today.

Together, they hung up all the little paper animals Jack had spent all afternoon making. When Crutchie slipped the little paper crane Jack had handed to him into his pocket instead of putting it on the tree Jack chose not to comment on it because he knew Crutchie just wanted something to remember this day by. He probably expected Jack to be gone from his life again come morning and after the last few months Jack couldn’t even blame him for that. It didn’t stop his heart from hurting, though.

When they were finished they took a step back and surveyed their work.

“Much better now, don’t you think?” Jack asked softly.

Crutchie nodded, a faint smile pulling his lips up. “It finally looks like a proper Christmas tree,” he whispered. “Thank you, Jack.” He made a movement as if to hug Jack but caught himself in time. Half a year ago he wouldn’t have hesitated and in that moment Jack truly realized just how much damage he’d done in just a few months.

“Join me on the rooftop?” he asked in a quiet voice.

Crutchie frowned. “Why?”

“I’d like to talk to you about something and I don’t want the other boys interrupting.”

For a brief moment a flash of anxious worry crossed Crutchie’s features before he visibly steeled himself and nodded, probably expecting the worst. Jack’s eyes caught Davey’s as they left the room, and his friend’s encouraging smile and nod gave him hope. He could do this. He would save his friendship with Crutchie and give him the best Christmas he ever had.

Carefully, Jack helped Crutchie up the ladder and for the first time in weeks they both stood on the rooftop that had been their safe place for so many years. It was cold and a breeze was swirling snowflakes all around them. They couldn’t see the sky behind the winter clouds but the air was crisp and clean and if Jack closed his eyes he could imagine the stars hidden above. The rooftop, his penthouse, had been his home – _their_ home – for so long that it felt only fitting that he would give Crutchie his Christmas present here.

“We had a lot of good times on this rooftop, didn’t we?” Jack mused quietly.

Crutchie’s answering smile was wistful and sad. “We had.”

“I’ve got something for you,” Jack said, reaching into his bag and pulling out Crutchie’s present. “Again, merry Christmas, Crutchie.”

Crutchie stared at the present in surprise. “For me?”

Jack chuckled. “You didn’t think I’d come with presents for all the boys and none for you, did you?” The guilty blush on Crutchie’s face told Jack all he needed to know. Gently, he pushed the present into Crutchie’s cold hands. “Go on, open it.”

Crutchie shook his head. “I … I can’t. I got you something, too, but I gave it away,” he confessed, sounding absolutely devastated. “I didn’t think … I thought you’d … I’m so sorry, Jack.”

“Hey, it’s alright,” Jack told him, pulling Crutchie’s newspaper-wrapped present out of his bag. “Specs gave it to me.”

“He did?” Crutchie looked taken aback. “Even though I told him to give it away, to find someone it would make happy?” he asked, ashamed.

Jack smiled. “Good thing he did exactly that.”

Crutchie’s ears turned red and he looked away. “You haven’t even opened it yet,” he mumbled.

“Just give me a second and I’ll change that,” Jack grinned and began to tear at the paper wrapping. Beneath it a sketchbook with a beautiful blue cover appeared and Jack’s eyes widened. “I know this!” he said, turning to Crutchie to see him nervously readjusting his grip on his crutch. “It’s the one we saw together on display earlier this year. It cost a fortune!”

Crutchie shrugged. “I bought it when it was on sale,” he said as if that somehow diminished the worth of the present. “You probably have lots of these now that you’ve got a real job.”

“Is that why you told Specs to give it to someone else? Because you thought I wouldn’t want it anymore?” Jack asked. When Crutchie didn’t say anything Jack sighed. “I could have a thousand sketchbooks like this and this one would still be special. You know why?”

Crutchie shook his head.

“Because it’s from you, Crutchie. Simple as that.”

“Really?” Crutchie asked, biting his lip.

Jack nodded. “Really. You put thought into this, and spent a lot of money you could have used on more important things.”

“I just wanted you to have a real sketchbook with blank pages to draw on for once. You deserve more than just old papes for your art,” Crutchie whispered, breath fogging in the cold night air in front of him.

“Want to know a secret?” Jack asked. “I don’t have lots of sketchbooks just because I work for Pulitzer now. I got some at work, but this,” he said, holding up the one Crutchie bought him, “is the first one I actually own.”

“So you like it?” Crutchie asked, sounding hopeful.

Jack laughed. “You silly goose, of course I do! Now go on, open your present.”

Using his upper arm to hold his crutch in place to keep himself balanced, Crutchie carefully peeled the paper away with his right hand. When he saw what Jack had gotten him he froze. “It’s us,” he breathed in wonder.

Jack stepped closer and smiled, resting his chin on Crutchie’s shoulder so he could look down on the drawing in his hands. “Remember that moment?”

Crutchie swallowed hard and nodded. “I was so afraid to knock on the door,” he said, voice thick with emotions, tracing the charcoal lines of the Lodging House Jack had drawn on a newspaper from years ago.

“Because you thought we’d turn you away,” Jack murmured, knowing for a fact that it wouldn’t have been the first time someone had refused to help Crutchie.

“But you didn’t,” Crutchie smiled. “You invited me in, gave me dry clothes and a meal and a bed for the night. I’ll never forget that.”

Jack pointed to the drawing. “Turn the page.”

Jack’s old drawings were held together by string, an idea Katherine had, and Crutchie carefully turned the page over. “I can’t believe you drew me sleeping that night!” he said accusingly even though his smile widened.

“What can I say? You inspired me,” Jack grinned unapologetically.

Crutchie huffed out a laugh and turned to the next page.

“Your first day selling papes,” Jack explained. “You were a natural, with that leg and bright personality of yours.”

The drawing showed Crutchie with one of his hands up high in the air holding a newspaper and Jack standing next to him, looking proud. Crutchie smiled at the memory. “Still took me some time to lie to the customers and make up headlines, though,” he said.

“But you learned,” Jack smiled.

Drawing after drawing followed of their everyday lives. Some were portraits of Crutchie, others showed him and the other boys getting their papers in the morning or spending an evening relaxing at Jacobi’s. Most of them were of him and Jack, though. They sometimes depicted special moments, like a birthday or Christmas or the first time Jack took Crutchie to the rooftop. Few showed the bad times. That awful winter when Crutchie got so sick Jack thought he was going to lose him or the day Jack came back from his second stay at the Refuge and hid in Crutchie’s arms for a whole night. But mostly the drawings were of small happy moments they had shared: a lazy afternoon in the shade of a large tree after they had sold all their papers; an early morning on the rooftop watching the sun rise and the last stars twinkle out of existence; a sunny day when some family’s little dog had run up to them and demanded to be pet, something they were both more than happy to do; the evening Jack brought Crutchie to Medda’s theatre for the first time and shared with him the work he did for her.

By the time Crutchie reached the last drawing he had tears in his eyes he was furiously trying to blink away. “The guys thought that strike sign was stupid and here you are, painting me like a hero,” he mumbled, laughing a little self-deprecatingly as he stared down at the drawing of that fateful day.

“Because that’s what you were,” Jack told him earnestly, gently turning him around so he could look at him. “Because that’s what you are. That’s how I see you. You’re the strongest and bravest person I know because you care more about others than yourself. You always try to make people’s days brighter, bring them a little happiness and that’s one of the things I love most about you.”

Crutchie’s breathing hitched. “You do?”

“Yeah,” Jack said softly. He took a deep breath. It was now or never. “I know I have been an awful friend since the strike and I wasn’t really there for you when you needed me most. I’m sorry for that, Crutchie.”

Crutchie averted his gaze and shrugged. “It’s alright.”

Jack shook his head. “We both know it isn’t and I don’t even have a good explanation for it because it just … happened. And I didn’t even notice.”

“Well, you had a new job, and Davey and Katherine …” Crutchie began, but Jack cut him off.

“That’s no excuse,” he said. “The both of us have been through thick and thin, good and bad, for years, Crutchie. You’re my best friend, my brother, and no matter how busy my life got, no matter how many new people I met, I shouldn’t have forgotten that.” He sighed and nodded towards the drawings Crutchie was gripping tightly. “When I went through these last week I just – I missed you. We’ve shared so much over the years and after the strike we just … stopped. Because of me. Because I was an idiot who didn’t see what he was doing. But I knew I didn’t want that drawing of the strike to be our last happy memory together.”

“What about when I came back? After you’d won?” Crutchie asked quietly. “That was a happy moment, wasn’t it?”

Jack smiled sadly. “I wanted to hug you so badly that day.”

Crutchie frowned. “Why didn’t you?” he asked in a small voice.

“Because I knew you were more hurt than you let on,” Jack said. “I didn’t want to hurt you more.” He snorted derisively. “Did a real good job there, didn’t I?”

They were both quiet for a moment. “I wish you’d hugged me anyway,” Crutchie finally whispered.

“Me, too,” Jack admitted. “Is now too late?”

A tentative smile lit up Crutchie’s face as he shook his head even though his eyes were welling with tears. “No.”

Jack didn’t need to be told twice. Gently, he pulled Crutchie into his arms, mindful of the drawings he was still holding. The bruises from his time at the Refuge had faded, the injuries healed, but Jack knew Crutchie was still hurting on the inside and he held him like he was the most precious thing in the whole world. He felt Crutchie’s fingers digging into his back, felt his warmth seeping through both of their jackets and when Crutchie began to tremble from more than the cold winter air Jack held him even more tightly.

“I missed you, too,” Crutchie said, voice muffled by Jack’s jacket. “So much.”

“I know,” Jack soothed, pressing his temple against Crutchie’s hat and closing his eyes.

Crutchie sniffed, burying his face deeper into Jack’s shoulder. “I don’t know how to be me without you,” he whispered brokenly. “I’ve tried but … it’s hard, Jack. It’s so hard. I barely remember a life before you and now I never see you anymore. I thought missing you would get easier but it doesn’t. It just doesn’t.”

Jack swallowed hard when he heard that. Crutchie almost never opened up and laid himself bare like that, not even to Jack. Because he felt like people only ever saw his leg he always tried his hardest not to show any weakness, to prove to them he was no different. Jack was the only one he sometimes allowed to see how much he was struggling every day. Sometimes it was because his leg was hurting or the Delanceys had targeted him again. Other times it was the pitying looks of his customers that got to him so much he just had to vent to someone. On very rare occasions he struggled with nearly faded memories of his past, his family, like most of them did.

To hear Crutchie who guarded his feelings like Pulitzer his money admitting so openly that he felt lost without Jack broke Jack’s heart. He’d done that. It was his fault Crutchie had suffered silently for months because Jack’s absence had not only robbed Crutchie of his best friend but also of the only person he confided in. If Jack hadn’t already hated himself before he surely would now.

“I’m so sorry,” Jack whispered into Crutchie’s hair. His words felt inadequate and hollow because Crutchie was falling apart against his shoulder and it felt like all Jack could do was watch helplessly while the dam broke. “I never meant for this to happen. I know that doesn’t mean much because the damage’s done but I honestly thought I was doing a good thing.”

“What do you mean?” Crutchie asked, voice muffled.

Jack took a deep, steadying breath and began to explain how he thought working for Pulitzer would be a short-term thing. “No way Ol’ Joe would be hiring me permanently,” he said. “But then he did and suddenly I had a future. And you know what my first thought was back then? ‘Now I can get Crutchie and myself a better life.’” He paused, gently rubbing his hand up and down Crutchie’s back for a moment. “I started saving up money and made plans, with the help of Katherine and Davey. God knows I’d have been lost without them. That’s why we were always together, Crutchie. They were helping me plan a future for us.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” Crutchie asked, voice breaking on the last word. “I could have helped, too.”

Jack pulled back a little to look him in the eyes. “I know you could have,” Jack said, needing Crutchie to believe him. “But I wanted to surprise you. You’ve done so much for me over the years and I feel like I never really showed you how much I appreciated that and I just, I wanted to give a little bit back, you know? I wanted to do something real nice for you and I wanted it to be perfect. But then everything took longer than planned and weeks turned into months and now it’s Christmas and the apartment’s still not ready because I don’t have the money yet to buy us real beds but we’ve shared before so I hope that’s alright with you. And I’m sorry it took me so long to ask but I’d really love it if you would move in with me because that place is not a home without you.”

Jack finally stopped his rambling to take a deep breath, anxiously waiting for Crutchie’s reaction.

“You want me to come live with you?” Crutchie asked tentatively and it reminded Jack of how young he truly was. “Me? Not Katherine?”

“Definitely you,” Jack confirmed with an honest smile. “Katherine’s great, don’t get me wrong, but we’re so not ready to live together. Maybe one day, I don’t know, but not right now and not too soon. It’s just you and me – if you’ll have me, that is?”

Crutchie stared at him, eyes wide with wonder like he couldn’t quite understand or believe what was going on. “You really want me to share your home?” he finally whispered.

Placing his new sketchbook under his arm Jack cupped Crutchie’s face with both his hands, gently smoothing his thumbs over cheeks red from the cold and damp with tears. “I want you to share _our_ home, Crutchie. _Ours_. It’s always been yours, too. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. Would have spared you a lot of pain if I had.”

Crutchie’s face crumbled and he squeezed his eyes shut so tightly the tears he tried so hard to keep at bay spilled over. “I hope these are happy tears,” Jack mumbled, leaning forward to rest his forehead against Crutchie’s. He could count on one hand the times he’d seen Crutchie cry and it tore at him.

“I’m not dreaming, am I?” Crutchie asked into the space between them as he tried to regain control of his emotions.

“I promise you’re not,” Jack reassured him.

Crutchie opened his eyes and finally smiled in that bright way of his that Jack had missed so much. In that moment it didn’t matter that his eyes were still wet with tears because he positively radiated happiness. “I can’t believe you’ve really built us a home,” he said, voice full of wonder. “You’re crazy, Jack Kelly.”

“Well, ‘built’ is maybe not quite the right word,” Jack began, a little embarrassed, but Crutchie didn’t let him finish.

“Can I see it?”

Surprised but happy Jack grinned at him. “Of course! Right now, if you want.” When Crutchie nodded enthusiastically Jack huffed out a laugh, taking a step back and holding out his hand for Crutchie to take. “Then let’s go home.”

He helped Crutchie down the ladder, making sure he didn’t slip on the frozen steps. When they stepped back into the warmth of the Lodging House the newsies went quiet, staring at them with nervous expectation and Jack wondered what picture they must make, both grinning like fools and Crutchie with his eyes and cheeks still wet. It was Specs who finally asked, “Everything alright?”

Jack and Crutchie shared a smile. “I think so,” Crutchie said with confidence and happiness and Jack couldn’t have hoped for more. Specs looked like he just got the best Christmas present ever when Jack briefly explained that they were leaving for the night. Some of the younger newsies looked a little disappointed but most of their friends nodded in understanding, flashing them grins of approval.

“Here,” Specs said, handing Jack a little package of food from their Christmas dinner before giving him a brief hug, whispering, “It’s good to see you both smiling again.”

“Thank you for knocking some sense into me,” Jack whispered back.

Crutchie got a hug from Specs as well and Jack was pretty sure Specs was telling him the exact same thing.

“You ready?” he asked Crutchie when Specs released him.

Crutchie took one more look at the happy faces around them and nodded. “I’m ready. Merry Christmas, everyone! See you tomorrow!”

Their friends waved at them and a chorus of “Merry Christmas!” followed them out the door and into the cold. “I was just beginning to feel my fingers again,” Crutchie complained after a few steps, shoving the hand that wasn’t holding his crutch into his pocket. He was grinning, though, as bright and warm as the summer sun and Jack soaked it up, glad to see Crutchie smile again.

They took their time getting to the apartment, and not just because the streets were slippery. New York was covered under a thin blanket of snow they were the first ones to disturb. Everybody was inside, eating Christmas dinner, and in that moment it felt like Jack and Crutchie were the only two people in the world. Jack looked over at his brother whose face was flushed pleasantly as he took in the peacefulness of their surroundings.

“This city can be so beautiful sometimes, don’t you think?” Crutchie asked him softly.

Jack nodded. “Took me a long time to see it but yeah, there’s beauty here.”

Crutchie beamed at him.

When they finally reached the apartment Jack began to get nervous. Rationally he knew he didn’t have to worry because his friends were right, Crutchie would love their home no matter what, but the thing about feelings was they weren’t really rational, were they? He had wanted everything to be perfect when Crutchie moved in. Now things had happened so fast and the apartment wasn’t even furnished properly, they didn’t have beds and –

“It’s so close to the Lodging House!” Crutchie exclaimed when they stopped in front of the building. “We can go see the fellas whenever we want! And I don’t have to walk so far to get my papes! Jack, this is perfect!”

And just like that all of Jack’s worries disappeared. Crutchie had always seen the world differently than he did. He didn’t focus on the flaws like Jack was prone to do. He saw everything that was good and right and beautiful – everything that made him happy. And right now what made him happy was that Jack gave him a home close to his brothers. He wouldn’t focus on what was still missing from the apartment. Crutchie would only see what was already there.

With newfound confidence Jack opened the door to the apartment. “Welcome home,” he said softly. Crutchie’s eyes widened as he took in their living room. Sure enough, he turned to Jack with a big smile. “We have our own kitchen!”

“We sure do,” Jack grinned. “It was a mess when I got here. Fixed it up earlier this month. Davey’s Dad helped.”

Crutchie’s gaze landed on the window. “Is that a balcony?”

Jack’s grin widened. “Not exactly a penthouse but you can see the moon and the stars at night. Want to see the bedroom?” Crutchie nodded eagerly, shrugging out of his jacket and letting it fall on top of Jack’s next to the door. “Alright, do you trust me?”

Crutchie gave him a funny look. “Course I do.”

Jack was tempted to say that after the last few months it wasn’t something he could take for granted anymore, but instead he took Crutchie’s free hand and began to sing softly, “ _Close your eyes_ …”

Crutchie laughed, a sound that filled the room with joy. “You taking me to Santa Fe, Cowboy?”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Come on, work with me here, Crutchie. _Close your eyes_ …”

Crutchie shook his head in fond amusement but complied. Jack gently tugged him forward. “ _Come with me_ …”

He led him into the bedroom and came to a stop. “ _Where it’s clean and green and pretty_.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “You can open your eyes now, Crutchie.”

Jack would never forget the moment Crutchie first saw the painting on the wall Jack had been working on for weeks. A look of amazement passed over his face and he took a tentative step forward to touch the green hues. “With no buildings in your way,” he murmured, before looking over his shoulder back at Jack. “You made this for me?”

“Nah, did it for our pet rat in the kitchen,” Jack said seriously. “His name’s Herbert and he loves cheese.” Crutchie snorted and shoved his shoulder playfully. “Of course I made it for you,” Jack grinned. “When I read your letter, you know from … that place, you were talking of going somewhere green with wide open spaces.” He gestured to the wall. “This is what I pictured. Green meadows, clear blue mountain pools, sunny sky. Well,” he amended, “not so sunny right now. It’s not finished yet. Obviously.”

He couldn’t help but glare a little at the empty spot where the sun was supposed to be. Crutchie’s laugh didn’t allow him much time to brood though. “It may not be finished but I love it anyway. It’s amazing, Jack. You’re amazing!”

“Oh, stop it,” Jack said, feeling his face flush with embarrassment.  

“No, I mean it!” Crutchie insisted. “This morning, when I woke up, I just wanted this day to be over. But then you showed up and you … you gave me a home! A real home! And it has mountains and fields right here in New York!” His eyes focused on something behind Jack and he laughed in delight. “And even animals made from papes!” Then his eyes softened and he reached for Jack’s hand. “But you know what the best thing is? It’s got you.”

“No,” Jack said, “the best thing is it’s got _us_.” They grinned at each other stupidly for a moment, feeling drunk with happiness, until Jack shook his head with a chuckle. “Come on, let’s eat some of Katherine’s food. I’m hungry.”

“Yeah, me, too,” Crutchie agreed with a smile.

They spent the rest of the evening eating Christmas dinner by candlelight and watching the snow fall outside their little balcony, remembering their past and looking forward to their future. When they went to bed Jack didn’t even hesitate in draping an arm over Crutchie and pulling him close. Feeling Crutchie’s heart beat against his hand was reassuringly familiar. The way Crutchie held onto his hand was new.

“Thank you,” he whispered into the night.

“For what?” Jack murmured, already half-asleep.

“For not leaving,” Crutchie said. “For coming back to me. For being my best friend.”

“And brother,” Jack reminded him gently.

“And brother,” Crutchie agreed. He was quiet for a moment. “Do we really have a rat named Herbert living in the kitchen?”

Jack snorted, hiding his face in the nape of Crutchie’s neck. “Of course not.”

“Shame.” Crutchie yawned and Jack could hear the smile in his voice when he said, “I always wanted to have a pet.”

Jack tightened his arms around him and made a mental note to ask Katherine and Davey where he could get a dog in New York.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is it! A very long Jack chapter with lots of fluff at the end to make up for all the Crutchie angst of the first two chapters. I did promise a happy ending, didn't I? ;-)
> 
> A few things I wanted to comment on:  
> \- I know there's usually a hug between Jack and Crutchie in the stage version after Crutchie returns from the Refuge, but since there's none in the Live Version (for whatever reason) I decided to use that in this story and find a way to explain it.
> 
> \- I headcanon that Jack learned origami at Medda's theatre, maybe from her or from one of the other performers.
> 
> \- Elmer, for me, is one of the younger newsies and we know the others make fun of him ("Now there's a headline even Elmer could sell") which is why Jack teases him about the presents. 
> 
> I want to thank all of you who read this story and left kudos or comments from the bottom of my heart! I really hope you like the last chapter as well. Tell me if you'd like to see this expanded ... I've been entertaining the thought of writing a little sequel about Jack's adventures of getting a dog but if there's anything else you'd like to see leave a comment and I'll see what I can do. 
> 
> My next newsies fic is already finished and will be published after Christmas. It's going to be an Albert/Buttons friendship story with hints of Race/Albert and Buttons/JoJo and copious amounts of hurt/comfort, so stay tuned for that! 
> 
> And last but not least: Merry Christmas, everyone! And if you don't do Christmas, have a nice holiday and a few relaxing days spending time with the people you love!


End file.
